60-cent Old Fashioneds and other tales of Manitowoc tavern history Nov. 8 at library

Manitowoc holds its share of rich and unique history, from the shipbuilding industry to a 20-pound chunk of Russian satellite from Sputnik 4 falling from the sky into the streets of downtown.

Historically speaking, it’s no secret Wisconsin residents have a deep love for making any occasion an opportunity to unwind with their spirit of choice, and Manitowoc is no exception. At one time, Manitowoc had the most taverns per capita of any city in the United States. We were never just a collection of taverns, though.

Taverns were neighborhood gathering places — places people could stroll to after a hard day on the job and enjoy an adult beverage with their friends and neighbors. They were also places where you could gripe about your boss, discuss the events of the day or fine tune your argument about why the Bears were a blight on professional football. They were the public gathering places for each unique neighborhood.

After founding, and eventually leaving, a Madison-area business in 2008, Manitowoc native Joe Kazda began his quest to collect and share Manitowoc’s long history of taverns and breweries.

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An old school old fashioned at Drink Winsconsinbly in Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday, September 25, 2017.(Photo: Alexandra Wimley/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Initially, Kazda thought he wanted to write a book, but he soon realized this would always be an ongoing project, so he opted to start a nonprofit website, manitowoctavernhistory.org. This website houses hundreds of vintage tavern photographs, archived memorabilia and historical information from the 1800s to the present.

With an interactive map page, markers indicate locations of past and present taverns. And with the help of a few good friends, local organizations and Manitowoc residents, Kazda has been able to give us a glimpse of the past and how things used to be.

“Growing up in Manitowoc, I was exposed to ‘tavern life’ attending family celebrations in the late '50s, and eventually becoming a paying customer once I was allowed in them at 18 years old," Kazda said. "After I moved from Manitowoc upon graduating from Lincoln High School in June of 1974, I took notice in my yearly return visits of how things were continually changing with the closing of one tavern and the opening of another. I wish that I was writing it all down."

Kazda's father frequented Del’s Cardinal Bar in the 1940s, which we now know as Shoot the Bull. A sample of the cocktail menu from 1960 displays prices only older generations can fondly reflect upon. A Wisconsin favorite, the Old Fashioned, would have only cost you 60 cents!

Kazda's mother, on the other hand, worked at Automatic Hostess, known locally as Manitowoc Wired Music Studio, in which an offsite studio with a bank of turntables and a record library supplied music to local taverns on demand via telephone.

Manitowoc played a huge role in the malting and brewery business as well. With the flourishing German population and their growing desire for quality beer, William and Natalie Rahr — who immigrated to America from Germany in 1847 with a background in brewing — were able to establish quick success with the Eagle Brewery.

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The Manitowoc Public Library April 25 in Manitowoc.(Photo: Josh Clark/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

Kunz & Bleser Brewing Company also had beginnings in Manitowoc. Founded in 1847, they eventually changed their name to what would become a local classic: Kingsbury Breweries Company.

I’ve just barely scratched the surface on this town’s unique beverage history. If you’re thirsty for more knowledge, join us at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 in the Balkansky Community Room at Manitowoc Public Library as Kazda gives a presentation on our local tavern history. Areas of conversation will include the beginnings of Manitowoc, the start of the first tavern (1830s), the rise of the first breweries (late 1840s), and the people and industries that fueled the growth of a business district that would eventually support nearly 100 taverns at its peak during the 1950s, before dropping off slightly in the 1960s.